Building off of the hit franchise and 18 months in the making, Halo: Spartan Assault is Microsoft’s attempt to capitalize off of the famous first shooter game for mobile. Instead of just “porting” the FPS model over though, a paradigm that is difficult to translate onto tablets and smartphones, Microsoft and 343 Industries opted for a third-person overhead view, which is more arcade style. The game’s timeline takes place in the four years between Halo 3 and 4.

In addition, the developers spent months honing game play to make the frame rate as high (and smooth) as possible and just as importantly, ensured that the game controls were fluid and flexible. From our last 24 hours playing with it, we can confirm that as a “casual gamer”, we found the game highly accessible and extremely well-polished.

From the game description:

“Halo: Spartan Assault brings the excitement of Halo combat to touch-based devices for the very first time. Battle your way through 25 action-packed missions against the Covenant as you explore the origin of the Spartan Ops program and Halo 4's Spartan Commander, Sarah Palmer.”

And don’t let those 25 missions fool you as Halo: Spartan Assault isn’t a one-off game for Microsoft, but rather the beginning of this game’s story. In the future, we can expect more missions and add on packs to be released, ensuring the game’s longevity long after you beat all of those levels (2.5 hours of gameplay).

In addition to Windows Phone 8, the game is also available for Windows 8 PCs and Tablets (including RT), scaling up the action to your larger screened devices.

Game Features

Original "Halo" gameplay. An action-packed, single-player campaign spanning 25 missions in battles never before experienced in the Halo Universe, all played from a top-down camera view.

New and immersive storyline. An original story set between the events of "Halo 3" and "Halo 4," experience a new war with the Covenant, the first missions of the Spartan Ops program and the rise of Commander Sarah Palmer, all with best-in-class graphics and audio.

Built for simplicity. A unique fusion of touch and console-like controls for easy pick-up-and-play gaming, with the added flexibility of keyboard and mouse controls on Windows 8 PCs and tablets.

Nonstop competitive fun. Compete against friends in Leaderboards or hone your skills against an onslaught of Weekly Challenges while collecting more than 40 in-game Achievements and Medals.

Only on Windows. Available only on Windows 8 PCs and tablets and Windows Phone 8 devices.

Finally, the game also supports optional in-app purchasing to gain more credits (credits are earned with normal game play too). We wrote about the IAP system back in June, noting:

“Those credits can be spent on different equipment to customize your loadout with prior to starting a level. Loudouts include both primary and secondary weapons, armor abilities, and boosters. A few armor abilities we know of: a health regeneration field, overshield, and sprinting. As for boosters, they make the game easier to play by increasing the damage that players deal and other beneficial effects.”

Overall, Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows Phone 8 was a worthwhile wait. Microsoft and Windows fans finally have a notch on their belt of one more “must have” game and the title should appeal to everyone from casual gamers to the hardcore user.

I can't think of any highly anticipated product with a website that actually was able to cope with demand. People that make the projections aren't the same as those that want the products. Look at any number of PC games in recent history. Hehe, its amazing! And when people like me build according to specifications we inevitably learn after the fact that those projections "were off". And that Is with padding. #failplanning

This is actually about the time it takes for the install packages and databases to deploy to each country's specific server, rather than capacity. It takes time; if they made it instant it would effectively nullify the reason to have them.

Two ways 1. Borrow a friend from with Verizon's SIM if your phone is unlocked, or 2. Go over to XDA, Windows Phone 8 Development & Hacking forum and follow directions for Nokia app hack, you can use the program to trick the store into thinking your phone is a Verizon phone. Think the app is only live for a few days longer btw. I haven't tried it because I have a Nokia on Verizon, but other people seem to have it working for other apps